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Badr Brigade Not Ready to Reinforce Abbas

[Maariv-Hebrew] Barak Ravid - PA Chairman Abbas is counting on the Jordan-based Badr Brigade to change the balance of forces in his struggle with Hamas. Israel has already agreed in principle to allow the unit to enter Gaza to reinforce pro-Abbas forces there. However, senior political and security sources say the Badr Brigade is not yet ready to operate. Jordanian sources say that during the past two weeks senior U.S. and British officers have arrived at the unit's base near Zarka in Jordan to speed up training of the force. The unit's officers presented a list of urgent requests including funding for salaries, vehicles, communications equipment, weapons, and ammunition. A senior American diplomat explained that the soldiers had formerly been paid by the PLO and had not received salaries for at least the last six months. A senior Israeli security source said, "Their level of preparedness is very low and the unit requires at least six months of training."
2006-12-26 01:00:00
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